Tamil People

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Tamil people

??????Tamils

Thiruvalluvar Srinivasa Ramanujan M.I.A.Viswanathan Anand Rajaraja Chola Abdul

KalamA. R. Rahman C. N. Annadurai M. S.Subbulakshmi

Total population

77,000,000 [1]

Regions with significant populations

India 60,793,814 (2001)[2]

Sri Lanka 3,092,676 (2001)[3]

Malaysia 2,100,000 (2007)[4]

Canada 200,000 (2007)[5]

Singapore 111,000 (1993)[4]

Languages

Tamil

Religion

88% Hindu, 6% Muslim, 5.5% Christian.

Related ethnic groups

Dravidians Telugus Kannadigas Malayalis Giraavarus[6] Sinhalese[7]

Tamil people (also called Tamils)

(Tamil: ??????, tamiar[?]), are an ethnicgroup native to Tamil Nadu, a state in India,

and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka.

They speak Tamil (?????), with a recorded

history going back two millennia.[8] Emigrant

communities are found across the world. The

Tamils are mostly Hindus with sizable Chris-

tian and Muslim populations.

Tamil was the first Indian language to be

given classical status. The art and architec-

ture of the Tamil people encompass some of

the notable contributions ofIndia and South-East Asia to the art world. The music, the

temple architecture and the stylised sculp-

tures favoured by the Tamil people in their

ancient nation are still being learnt and prac-

ticed. The classical language ofTamil has the

oldest extant literature amongst other

Dravidian languages.[9] Tamils have been re-

ferred to as the last surviving classical civil-

isation on Earth.[10] The Pallava script, a

variant ofSouthern Brahmi used by the Tamil

Pallava dynasty, was the basis of several of

the writing systems of Southeast Asia, includ-

ing the Burmese, Khmer, Thai, Lao and

Javanese scripts.[11]

History of the termSee also: Sources of ancient Tamil history

It is unknown as to whether the term Tamilar

and its equivalents in Prakrit such as Damela,

Dameda, Dhamila and Damila was a self des-

ignation or a term denoted by outsiders. Epi-

graphic evidence of an ethnic group termedas such is found in ancient Sri Lanka where a

number of inscriptions have come to light

datable from third to first century BCE men-

tioning Damela or Dameda persons. In the

well-known Hathigumpha inscription of the

Kalinga ruler Kharavela, refers to a Tramirasamghata (Confederacy of Tamil rulers)

dated to 150 BCE. It also mentions that the

league of Tamil kingdoms had been in exist-

ence 113 years before then.[12] In Amaravati

in present day Andhra Pradesh there is an in-

scription referring to a Dhamila-vaniya(Tamil trader) datable to the third century

CE.[12]Another inscription of about the same

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tamil people

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Karur and Arikamedu.[24] There is also evid-

ence that at least two embassies were sent to

the Roman Emperor Augustus by Pandya

kings.[25] Potsherds with Tamil writing have

also been found in excavations on the Red

Sea, suggesting the presence of Tamil mer-

chants there.[26] An anonymous first century

travelers account written in Greek, PeriplusMaris Erytraei, describes the ports of the

Pandya and Chera kingdoms inDamirica andtheir commercial activity in great detail.

Periplus also indicates that the chief exportsof the ancient Tamils were pepper, malabath-

rum, pearls, ivory, silk, spikenard, diamonds,

sapphires, and tortoiseshell.[27]

The classical period ended around the

fourth century AD with invasions by the

Kalabhra, referred to as the kalappirar in

Tamil literature and inscriptions.[28] Theseinvaders are described as evil kings and bar-

barians coming from lands to the north of the

Tamil country.[29] This period, commonly re-

ferred to as the Dark Age of the Tamil coun-

try, ended with the rise of the Pallava dyn-

asty.[28][30][31] According to Clarence Malo-

ney, during the classical period Tamils also

settled the Maldive Islands.[6]

Imperial and post-imperial periods

Although the Pallava records can be traced

from the second century AD, they did not rise

to prominence as an imperial dynasty until

the sixth century.[32] The dynasty does not

appear to have been Tamil in origin, although

they rapidly adopted the local culture and the

Tamil language. The Pallavas sought to mod-

el themselves after great northern dynasties

such as the Mauryas and Guptas.[33] They

therefore transformed the institution of the

kingship into an imperial one, and sought to

bring vast amounts of territory under their

direct rule. The Pallavas were followers ofthe Hinduism, though for a short while one of

their kings embraced Jainism and later con-

verted to Hinduism[34]. The Bhakti movement

in Hinduism was founded by Tamil saints at

this time, and rose along with the growing in-

fluence ofJainism and Buddhism.[35] The Pal-

lavas pioneered the building of large, ornate

temples in stone which formed the basis of

the Dravidian temple architecture.

The Pallava dynasty was overthrown in the

9th century by the resurgent Cholas.[32]

TheCholas become dominant in the 10th century

and established an empire covering most of

southern India and Sri Lanka.[32] The empire

The Varaha cave bas relief atMahabalipurambuilt by thePallava kingNarasimhavarman IIin 7th century CE

had strong trading links with China andSoutheast Asia.[36][37] The Cholas navy

conquered the South Asian kingdom ofSri Vi-

jaya in Sumatra and continued as far as Thai-

land and Burma.[32] Chola power declined in

the 12th and 13th centuries, and the Pandya

dynasty enjoyed a brief period of resurgence

thereafter during the rule of Sundara

Pandya.[32] However, repeated Muslim inva-

sions from the 15th century onwards placed a

huge strain on the empires resources, and

the dynasty came to an end in the 16th cen-

tury.[38]

The western Tamil lands became increas-

ingly politically distinct from the rest of the

Tamil lands after the Chola and Pandya em-

pires lost control over them in the 13th cen-

tury.[39] They developed their own distinct

language and literature, which increasingly

grew apart from Tamil, evolving into the

modern Malayalam language by the 15th cen-

tury.[40]

No major empires arose thereafter, and

parts of Tamil Nadu were for a while ruled bya number of different local chiefs, such as the

Nayaks of the modern Maharashtra (see Ser-

foji II) and Andhra Pradesh regions. From the

17th century onwards, European powers

began establishing settlements and trading

outposts in the region. A number of battles

were fought between the British, French and

Danish in the 18th century, and by the end of

the 18th century most of Tamil Nadu was un-

der British rule.


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Tamils in Sri LankaThere is little scholarly consensus over the

presence of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka,

also known as Eelam in early Tamil literat-

ure, prior to the medieval Chola period (circa

10th century AD). One theory states that

there was not an organized Tamil presence inSri Lanka until the invasions from what is

now South India in the 10th century AD; an-

other theory contends that Tamil people were

the original inhabitants of the island.[41][42]

Pre-Historic period

The indigenous Veddhas are physically re-

lated to Dravidian language-speaking tribal

people in South India and early populations

of Southeast Asia, although they no longer

speak their native languages.[43] It is be-

lieved that cultural diffusion, rather than mi-

gration of people, spread the Sinhalese and

Tamil languages from peninsular India into

an existing Mesolithic population, centuries

before the Christian era.[44]

Settlements of people culturally similar to

those of present-day Sri Lanka and Tamil

Nadu in modern India were excavated at

megalithic burial sites at Pomparippu on the

west coast and in Kathiraveli on the east

coast of the island, villages established

between the 5th century BC and 2nd centuryAD.[45][46] Cultural similarities in burial prac-

tices in South India and Sri Lanka were dated

by archeologists to 10th century BC.

However, Indian history and archaeology

have pushed the date back to 15th century

BC, and in Sri Lanka, there is radiometric

evidence from Anuradhapura that the

non-Brahmi symbol-bearing black and red

ware occur at least around 9th or 10th cen-

tury BC.[47]

Historic periodPotsherds with early Tamil writing from

the 2nd century BC have been found in ex-

cavations in Poonagari, Jaffna, bearing sever-

al inscriptions including a clan name - vela, a

name related to velir from ancient Tamilcountry.[48] There is epigraphic evidence of

people identifying themselves as Damelas or

Damedas (the Prakrit word for Tamil people)

in Anuradhapura, the capital city ofRajarata,

and other areas of Sri Lanka as early as the

2nd century BC.[49]Historical records estab-lish that Tamil kingdoms in modern India

were closely involved in the islands affairs

Inscription dated to 1100 AD left by Tamilsoldiers inPolonnaruwa, Sri Lanka

from about the 2nd century BC.[21][22]InMa-

havamsa, a historical poem, ethnic Tamil ad-

venturers such as Elara invaded the islandaround 145 BC.[50] Tamil soldiers from what

is now South India were brought to

Anuradhapura between the 7th and 11th cen-

turies AD in such large numbers that local

chiefs and kings trying to establish legitim-

acy came to rely on them.[51] By the 8th cen-

tury AD there were Tamil villages collectively

known as Demel-kaballa (Tamil allotment),Demelat-valademin (Tamil villages), and

Demel-gam-bim (Tamil villages andlands).[52]

Medieval period

In the 9th and 10th centuries AD, Pandya and

Chola incursions into Sri Lanka culminated in

the Chola annexation of the island, which las-

ted until the latter half of the 11th century

CE.[51][53][54][55]

The decline of Chola power in Sri Lanka

was followed by the restoration of the Polon-

naruwa monarchy in the late 11th century

AD.[56] In 1215, following Pandya invasions,

the Tamil-dominant Arya Chakaravarthi dyn-asty established an independent Jaffna king-

dom[57] on the Jaffna peninsula and parts of


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northern Sri Lanka. The Arya Chakaravarthi

expansion into the south was halted by

Alagakkonara,[58] a man descended from a

family of merchants from Kanchipuram in

Tamil Nadu. He was the chief minister of the

Sinhalese king Parakramabahu V

(134459 AD). Vira Alakeshwara, a descend-

ant of Alagakkonara, later became king of the

Sinhalese,[59] but he was overthrown by the

Ming admiral Cheng Ho in 1409 CE. The

Arya Chakaravarthi dynasty ruled over large

parts of northeast Sri Lanka until the Por-

tuguese conquest of the Jaffna Kingdom in

1619 AD. The coastal areas of the island

were taken over by the Dutch and then be-

came part of the British Empire in 1796 CE.

The caste structure of the majority Sin-

halese has also accommodated Hindu immig-

rants from South India since the 13th centuryAD. This led to the emergence of three new

Sinhalese caste groups: the Salagama, theDurava and theKarava.[60][61][62] The Hindu

migration and assimilation continued until

the 18th century AD.[60]

Modern periodBritish colonists consolidated the Tamil ter-

ritory in southern India into the Madras Pres-

idency, which was integrated into British In-

dia. Similarly, the Tamil parts of Sri Lankajoined with the other regions of the island in

1802 to form the Ceylon colony. They re-

mained in political union with India and Sri

Lanka after their independence, in 1947 and

1948 respectively.

When India became independent in 1947,

Madras Presidency became the Madras

State, comprising present-day Tamil Nadu,

coastal Andhra Pradesh, northern Kerala,

and the southwest coast of Karnataka. The

state was subsequently split along linguistic

lines. In 1953, the northern districts formed

Andhra Pradesh. Under the States Reorganiz-

ation Act in 1956, Madras State lost its west-

ern coastal districts. The Bellary and South

Kanara districts were ceded to Mysore state,

and Kerala was formed from the Malabar dis-

trict and the former princely states of

Travancore and Cochin. In 1968, Madras

State was renamed Tamil Nadu.

There was some initial demand for an in-

dependent Tamil state following the adoption

of the federal system.[63] However, the Indi-an constitution granted significant autonomy

to the states, and protests by Tamils in 1963

led to the government adopting a new policy

called the "three language formula". This has

led to Tamils in India becoming increasingly

satisfied with the federal arrangement, and

there is very little support for secession or in-

dependence today.

In Sri Lanka, however, the unitary ar-

rangement led to a growing belief among

some Tamils of discrimination by the Sin-

halese majority. This resulted in a demand

for federalism, which in the 1970s grew into

a movement for an autonomous Tamil coun-

try. The situation deteriorated into civil war

in the early 1980s. A ceasefire in effect since

2002 broke down in August 2006 amid

shelling and bombing from both sides. Today

Tamils make up 18% of Sri Lankas popula-

tion (3.8 Million).[64], 6.2% of Malaysias Pop-

ulation (1.06 Million).

Geographic distribution

Indian Tamils

A young Tamil girl wearing rich gold orna-ments. Source:The National GeographicMagazine, April 1907

Most Indian Tamils live in the state ofTamil

Nadu. Tamils are the majority in the union

territory of Pondicherry, a former French

colony. Pondicherry is a subnational enclave


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Tamil schools, and a significant portion of

Tamil children in Mauritius and Reunion are

brought up with Tamil as their first language.

In Singapore, Tamil students learn Tamil as

their second language in school, with English

as the first. To preserve the Tamil language,

the Singapore government has made it an of-

ficial language despite Tamils comprising

only about 5% of the population, and has also

introduced compulsory instruction of the lan-

guage for Tamils. Other Tamil communities,

such as those in South Africa and Fiji, no

longer speak Tamil as a first language, but

still retain a strong Tamil identity, and are

able to understand the language, while most

elders speak it as a first language.[73]

A large emigration also began in the

1980s, as Sri Lankan Tamils sought to escape

the ethnic conflict there. These recent emig-rants have most often fled to Australia,

Europe, North America and Southeast

Asia.[74] Today, the largest concentration of

Tamils outside southern Asia is in Toronto,

Canada.[75]

Many young Tamil professionals from In-

dia have also immigrated to Europe and the

United States in recent times in search of

better opportunities. These new immigrant

communities have established cultural associ-

ations to protect and promote Tamil cultureand language in their adopted homes.

Culture

Language and literature

An idol inMadurai representing the Tamillanguage as a goddess; The caption on thepedestal reads Tamil Annai ("Mother Tamil").

Tamils have strong feelings towards the

Tamil language, which is often venerated in

literature as "Tamilannai", "the Tamil moth-

er".[76] It has historically been, and to large

extent still is, central to the Tamil iden-

tity.[77] Like the other languages ofSouth In-

dia, it is a Dravidian language, unrelated to

the Indo-European languages of northern In-

dia. The language has been far less influ-

enced by Sanskrit than the other Dravidian

languages, and preserves many features of

Proto-Dravidian, though modern-day spoken

Tamil in Tamil Nadu, freely uses loanwords

from Sanskrit and English.[78] Tamil literat-

ure is of considerable antiquity, and was re-

cognised as a classical language by the gov-

ernment of India.

Classical Tamil literature, which ranges

from lyric poetry to works on poetics and eth-

ical philosophy, is remarkably different from

contemporary and later literature in other In-dian languages, and represents the oldest

body of secular literature in South Asia.[79]

Notable works in classical Tamil literature in-

clude the Tirukkural, by Tiruvalluvar, the five

great Tamil epics, and the works ofAuvaiyar.

Modern Tamil literature is diverse. It in-

cludes Indian Nationalism, in the works of

Subramanya Bharathi; historical romanti-

cism, by Kalki Krishnamurthy; radical and

moderate social realism, by Pudhumaipithan

and Jayakanthan; and feminism, by MalathiMaithri and Kutti Revathi. Sujatha Rangara-

jan, an author whose works range from ro-

mance novels to science fiction, is one of the

most popular modern writers in Tamil. Sri

Lankan Tamil literature has produced several

works reflecting the civilian tragedy caused

by decades of war. There is also an emerging

diaspora literature in Tamil.

There are a number of regional dialects in

use by the Tamil people. These dialects vary

among regions and communities. Tamil dia-

lects are mainly differentiated by the dispar-ate phonological changes and sound shifts

that have evolved from Old Tamil. Although

most Tamil dialects do not differ significantly

in their vocabulary, there are a few excep-

tions. The dialects spoken in Sri Lanka retain

many words that are not in everyday use in

India, and use many other words slightly dif-

ferently. The dialect of the Iyers ofPalakkad

has a large number ofMalayalam loanwords,

has been influenced by Malayalam syntax,

and has a distinct Malayalam accent. TheSankethi, Hebbar, and Mandyam dialects, the

former spoken by groups of Tamil Iyers, and

the latter two by Vaishnavites who migrated


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8/18

to Karnataka in the 11th century, retains

many Vaishnavite religious and spiritual val-

ues. The Tamil spoken in Chennai infuses

English words, and is called Madras Bashai(Madras language).[80]

Visual art and architectureSee also: Chola Art

Most traditional Tamil art is religious in some

form and usually centres on Hinduism, al-

though the religious element is often only a

means to represent universaland, occasion-

ally, humanistthemes.[81]

Dancing Siva orNataraja is a typical exampleof Chola bronze

The most important form of Tamil painting

is Tanjore painting, which originated in Than-

javur in the ninth century. The paintings

base is made of cloth and coated with zinc

oxide, over which the image is painted using

dyes; it is then decorated with semi-precious

stones, as well as silver or gold thread.[82]A

style which is related in origin, but which ex-hibits significant differences in execution, is

used for painting murals on temple walls; the

most notable example are the murals on the

Kutal Azhakar and Meenakshi temples of

Madurai, the Brihadeeswarar temple ofTan-

jore.[83] Tamil art, in general, is known for its

stylistic elegance, rich colours, and attention

to small details.

Tamil sculpture ranges from elegant stone

sculptures in temples, to bronze icons with

exquisite details.[84] The medieval Chola

bronzes are considered to be one of Indiasgreatest contributions to the world art.[85][86]

Unlike most Western art, the material in

Tamil sculpture does not influence the form

taken by the sculpture; instead, the artist im-

poses his/her vision of the form on the mater-

ial.[87] As a result, one often sees in stone

sculptures flowing forms that are usually re-

served for metal.[88]

The Brihadeshswara Temple at Thanjavur,also known as the Great Temple, built byRa-jaraja Chola I. Tamil dynasties were patronsof Hinduism and the arts.

As with painting, these sculptures show a

fine eye for detail; great care is taken in

sculpting the minute details of jewellery,

worn by the subjects of the sculpture. The

lines tend to be smooth and flowing, and

many pieces skillfully capture movement. The

cave sculptures at Mamallapuram are a par-

ticularly fine example of the technique, as

are the bronzes of the Chola period. A partic-

ularly popular motif in the bronzes was the

depiction of Shiva as Nataraja, in a dance

posture with one leg upraised, and a fiery cir-

cular halo surrounding his body.

Tamil temples were often simply treated

as sculptures on a grand scale. The templesare most notable for their high spires, known

as Gopura, consisting of a number of stepped


8
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9/18

levels, and the vimanam, which rises above

the sanctum sanctorum. During the Cholaperiod, the vimanams had more prominence,

as seen in the Brihadsvara temple of Than-

javur. During the Nayak period, the spires

became progressively more elaborate and or-

nate, as exemplified by the Meenakshi

Temple in Madurai, while the vimanam be-came much smaller. From the 13th century

onwards, the entrance gates to the temples,

called gopurams in Tamil, also began to grow

bigger, and more elaborate. The temples at

Chidambaram and Srirangam have particu-

larly impressive gopurams, covered with

sculptures and reliefs of various scenes and

characters from Hindu mythology.

As with Indian art in general, Tamil art

does not traditionally aspire to portraiture or

realism. Much more emphasis is placed onthe representation of ideal prototypes, and

on depicting the symbols with which the

theme of the artistic work is associated. This

means that small details, such as the direc-

tion which a hand faces, the animals or trees

portrayed, or the time of day depicted, are of-

ten of critical importance to understanding

the meaning of a work of art.[89]

Performing arts

See also: Music of Tamil Nadu and AncientTamil music

The traditional Tamil performing arts have

ancient roots.[90] The royal courts and

temples have been centres for the perform-

ing arts since the classical period, and pos-

sibly earlier. Descriptions of performances in

classical Tamil literature and theNatya Shas-

tra, a Sanskrit treatise on the performingarts, indicate a close relationship between

the ancient and modern artforms. The aim of

a performance in Tamil tradition, is to bring

out the rasa, the flavor, mood, or feeling, in-herent in the text, and its quality is measured

by the extent to which it induces the mood in

the audience.[90]

Tamil shares a classical musical tradition,

called carnatic music, with the rest ofSouth

India. It is primarily oriented towards vocal

music, with instruments functioning either as

accompaniments, or as imitations of the sing-

ers role. Ancient Tamil works, such as the

Cilappatikaram, describe a system of music

that includes old Carnatic modes,[91] and aseventh-century Pallava inscription at Kudim-

iyamalai contains one of the earliest

Play video

Folk artists performing at a funeral

surviving examples of Indian music in nota-

tion.[92] Modern Carnatic music is organized

around the twin notions of melody types

(rgam), and cyclical rhythm types (thlam).Unlike the northern Hindustani music tradi-

tion, carnatic music is almost exclusively reli-

gious. In sharp contrast with the restrained

and intellectual nature of carnatic music,

Tamil folk music tends to be much more ex-

uberant. Popular forms of Tamil folk music

include the Villuppattu, a form of music per-

formed with a bow, and the Naat-tupurapaattu, ballads that convey folklore

and folk history.

The dominant classical dance amongst

Tamils is Bharatanatyam. Bharatanatyam isperformative, rather than participative. The

dance is an exposition of the story contained

in a song, and is usually performed by one

performer on stage, with an orchestra of

drums, a drone, and one or more singers

backstage. The story is told through a com-

plicated combination of mudras (hand ges-tures), facial expressions, and body postures.

Dancers used to be exclusively female, but

the dance now also has several well-known

male practitioners.[90]

The most notable of Tamil folk dances is

karakattam. In its religious form, the dance is

performed in front of an image of the


9
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10/18

Young Bharatanatyam dancer

goddess Mariamma. The dancer bears, on his

or her head, a brass pot filled with uncooked

rice, decorated with flowers and surrounded

by a bamboo frame, and tumbles and leaps to

the rhythm of a song without spilling a grain.

Karakttam is usually performed to a special

type of song, known as temmanguppattu, afolk song in the mode of a lover speaking tohis beloved, to the accompaniment of a

nadaswaram and melam. Other Tamil folk

dances include mayilattam, where the dan-cers tie a string of peacock feathers around

their waists; oyilattam, danced in a circlewhile waving small pieces of cloth of various

colors; poykkal kuthiraiyaattam, in which thedancers use dummy horses; manaattam, in

which the dancers imitate the graceful leap-

ing of deer; paraiyattam, a dance to the

sound of rhythmical drumbeats; and thip-panthattam, a dance involving playing with

burning torches.[93] The kuravanci is a typeof dance-drama, performed by four to eight

women. The drama is opened by a woman

playing the part of a female soothsayer of a

wandering kurava tribe, who tells the story of

a lady pining for her lover.

The therukoothu, literally meaning "street

play", is a form of village theater or folk op-

era. It is traditionally performed in village

squares, with no sets and very simple props.The performances involve songs and dances,

and the stories can be either religious or

secular.[94] The performances are not formal,

and performers often interact with the audi-

ence, mocking them, or involving them in the

dialogue. Therukkthu has, in recent times,

been very successfully adapted to convey so-

cial messages, such as abstinence and anti-

caste criticism, as well as information about

legal rights, and has spread to other parts of

India.[95]

The village of Melattur, in Tamil Nadu,

has a special type of performance, called the

bhagavata-mela, in honour of the local deity,

which is performed once a year, and lasts all

night. Tamil Nadu also has a well developed

stage theater tradition, which has been heav-

ily influenced by western theatre. A number

of theatrical companies exist, with reper-

toires including absurdist, realist, and hu-

morous plays.[96]Both classical and folk performing arts

survive in modern Tamil society. Tamil

people in Tamil Nadu are also passionate

about films. The Tamil film industry, com-

monly dubbed Kollywood, is the second-

largest film industry in India.[97] Tamil

cinema is appreciated both for its technical

accomplishments, and for its artistic and en-

tertainment value. The overwhelming major-

ity of Tamil films contain song and dance se-

quences, and Tamil film music is a populargenre in its own right, often liberally fusing

elements ofcarnatic, Tamil folk, North Indian

styles, hip-hop, and heavy metal. Famous mu-

sic directors of the late 20th century included

M. S. Viswanathan, Ilayaraaja, and A. R.

Rahman.

Religion

A village shrine dedicated to Lord Ayyanar,c.a. 1911

About 88%[98] of the population of Tamil

Nadu are Hindus. Muslims and Christians


10
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11/18

Grave ofSulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed inErwadi durgah, Ramanathapuram, who firstbroughtIslam to Tamilnadu

Velankani Our Lady ofGood Health Church,a Marian church popular with adherentsacross all religions

account for 6% and 5.5% respectively. Most

of the Christians are Roman Catholics. The

majority of Muslims in Tamil Nadu speak

Tamil,[99] with less than 40% reporting Urdu

as their mother tongue.[100] Tamil Jains num-

ber only a few thousand now.[101]Atheist, ra-tionalist, and humanist philosophies are also

adhered by sizable minorities, as a result of

Tamil cultural revivalism in the twentieth

century, and its antipathy to what it saw as

Brahminical Hinduism.[102]

The most popular deity is Murugan, also

known as Karthikeya, the son of Siva.[103]

The worship ofAmman, also called Mariam-

man, is thought to have been derived from an

ancient mother goddess, is also very com-

mon.[104] Kannagi, the heroine of the Cilap-

patikram, is worshipped as Pattini by many

Tamils, particularly in Sri Lanka.[105] There

are also many followers ofAyyavazhi in Tamil

Nadu, mainly in the southern districts.[106] In

addition, there are many temples and de-

votees ofVishnu, Siva, Ganapathi, and the

other Hindu deities.

The most important Tamil festivals are

Pongal, a harvest festival that occurs in mid-

January, and Varudapirappu, the Tamil New

Year, which occurs around mid-April. Both

are celebrated by almost all Tamils, regard-

less of religion. The Hindu festival Deepavali

is celebrated with fanfare; other local Hindu

festivals include Thaipusam, Panguni Ut-

tiram, and Adiperukku. While Adiperukku is

celebrated with more pomp in the Cauvery

region than in others, the Ayyavazhi Festival,

Ayya Vaikunda Avataram, is predominantly

celebrated in the southern districts of Kan-

yakumari, Tirunelveli, and Thoothukudi.[107]

In rural Tamil Nadu, many local deities,called aiyyanrs, are thought to be the spirits

of local heroes who protect the village from

harm. Their worship often centers around

nadukkal, stones erected in memory of her-

oes who died in battle. This form of worship

is mentioned frequently in classical literature

and appears to be the surviving remnants of

an ancient Tamil tradition.[108]

The Saivist sect of Hinduism is signific-

antly represented amongst Tamils, more so

among Sri Lankan Tamils, although most ofthe Saivist places of religious significance are

in northern India. The Alvars and Nayanars,

who were predominantly Tamils, played a key

role in the renaissance ofBhakti tradition in

India. In the 10th century, the philosopher

Ramanuja, who propagated the theory ofVis-

ishtadvaitam, brought many changes to wor-

shiping practices, creating new regulations

on temple worship, and accepted lower-caste

Hindus as his prime disciples.[109]

Christianity is believed to have come to

Tamil Nadu with the arrival of St. Thomasthe apostle, and the number of Tamil Christi-

ans grew during the colonial period. Most

Tamil Christians are Catholic and Protestant.

Islam started flourishing in Tamilnadu after

the arrival of Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed,

descendant of Prophet Muhammmad who

came from Madinah, Saudi Arabia during

12th century. His grave is found in Erwadi

dargah in Ramanathapuram district. Tamil

Muslims are mostly either mainstream Sunni

or Sufi.


11
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CuisineEach geographical area where Tamils live

has developed its own distinct variant of the

common dishes plus a few dishes distinctly

native to itself. The Chettinad region, com-

prising of Karaikudi and adjoining areas, is

known for both traditional vegetarian dishes,like appam, uthappam, paal paniyaram, and

non-vegetarian dishes, made primarily using

chicken.

Rice, the major staple food in most of

Tamil, is usually steamed and served with

about two to six accompanying items, which

typically include sambar, dry curry, rasam,

kootu, and thayir (curd) or moru (whey orbuttermilk).

Tiffin or Light meals usually include one

or more of Pongal, Dosai, idli, Vadai along

with sambar and Chutney is often served as

either breakfast or as an evening snack. Ghee

Clarified butter called neyyi in Tamil, is used

to flavor the rice when eaten with dhal or

sambar, but not with curds or buttermilk.

Morkulambu, a dish which can be spiced with

moru, is also popular with steamed rice.

Martial artsVarious martial arts including Kuttu Varisai,

Varma Kalai, Silambam Nillaikalakki,

Maankombukkalai (Madhu) and Kalarippay-

attu, are practised in Tamil Nadu and Ker-

ala[110]. The weapons used include Silam-

bam,Maankombukkalai, Yeratthai Mulangkol

(double stick), Surul Pattai (spring sword),Val Vitchi (single sword), and Yeretthai Val

(double sword)[111].

The ancient Tamil art of unarmed bull-

fighting, popular amongst warriors in the

classical period[112][113], has also survived in

parts of Tamil Nadu, notably Alanganallur

near Madurai, where it is known as Jallikattuor macuvirattu and is held once a yeararound the time of the Pongal festival.

InstitutionsThe global spread of the Tamil diaspora has

hindered the formation of formal pan-Tamil

institutions. The most important national in-

stitutions for Tamils have been the govern-

ments of the states where they live, particu-

larly the government of Tamil Nadu and the

government of Sri Lanka, which have collab-

orated in developing technical and scientific

The Tamil flag adopted by the World TamilConfederation to represent Tamil peopleeverywhere.

terminology in Tamil and promoting its use

since the 1950s.

Politics in Tamil Nadu is dominated by theSelf-respect movement (also called the

Dravidian movement), founded by E.V.

Ramasami, popularly known as Periyar, to

promote self-respect and rationalism, and to

fight casteism and the oppression of the low-

est castes. Every major political party in

Tamil Nadu bases its ideology on the Self-re-

spect Movement, and the national political

parties play a very small role in Tamil polit-

ics. (seeDravidian parties)In Sri Lanka, Tamil politics was dominated

by the federalist movements, led by the

Federal Party (later the Tamil United Libera-

tion Front), until the early 1980s. In the

1980s, the political movement was largely

succeeded by a violent military campaign

conducted by several militant groups. The

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which

emerged as the most important force

amongst these groups in the 1990s, controled

a third of Sri Lanka, and had attempted to es-

tablish its own government there, which it

called the government ofTamil Eelam.In the 1960s, the government of Tamil

Nadu held a World Tamil Conference, which

has continued to meet periodically since

then. In 1999, a World Tamil Confederation

was established to protect and foster Tamil

culture and further a sense of togetherness

amongst Tamils in different countries. The

Confederation has since adopted a Tamil flag

and Tamil song[114] to act as trans-national

symbols for the Tamil people; the words on

the flag quote the opening line of a poem bythe classical poet Kanian Poongundranaar,

and means "Everyone is our kin; Everyplaceis our home".


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13/18

See also List of Indian languages by number of

native speakers

Tamil Language

Tamil script

List of Tamil people

Tamil diaspora

Ancient Tamil country

Dravidian martial arts

List of languages by first written accounts

Tamil Classical Dance

Chronology of Tamil history

Tamil Cinema (Kollywood)

Notes[1] "Top 30 Languages by Number of Native

Speakers: sourced from Ethnologue:Languages of the World, 15th ed.

(2005)". Vistawide - World Languages &Cultures. http://www.vistawide.com/

languages/top_30_languages.htm.Retrieved on 2007-04-03.

[2] "Indian Census - Abstract of Strength ofMother Tongues". Indian Census, 2001.

http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/

Language/Statement1.htm. Retrieved on2008-01-07.

[3] "Brief Analysis of Population and

Housing Characteristics" (PDF). SriLanka census of population and housing

2001. http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/PDF/

p7%20population%20and%20Housing%20Text-11-12-06.pdf.Retrieved on 2008-01-07.

[4] ^ "Ethnologue report for language codetam". Ethnologue: Languages of the

World. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tam. Retrieved

on 2007-07-31.[5] "Tamils:Population in Canada (2007)"

(html). Ryerson University.

http://www.diversitywatch.ryerson.ca/backgrounds/tamils.htm. Retrieved on

2008-02-19.[6] ^Maloney, Clarence. "Maldives People".

http://www.iias.nl/iiasn/iiasn5/insouasi/maloney.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-22.

[7] Kshatriya, G.K. (1995). "Genetic affinitiesof Sri Lankan populations". Human

Biology (American Association ofAnthropological Genetics) 67 (6):84366.PMID 8543296.

[8] M. B. Emeneau (Jan-March 1956). "India

as a lingustic Area". Language 32 (1): 5.

doi:10.2307/410649.http://links.jstor.org/

sici?sici=0097-8507%28195601%2F03%2932%3A1Retrieved on 2007-05-03. "Of the four

literary Dravidian languages, Tamil hasvoluminous records dating back at least

two millennia".[9] Burton Stein (November 1977).

"Circulation and the HistoricalGeography of Tamil Country". The

Journal of Asian Studies 37 (1): 726.


sici?sici=0021-9118%28197711%2937%3A1%3C7%Retrieved on 2007-05-03. "Tamil is one of

the two longest-surviving classical

languages in India.".[10] Martin Wood, BBC

[11]Daniels, Peter T. (2008). "Writingsystems of major and minor languages".

in Kachru, Braj B.; Kachru, Yamuna;Sridhar, S.N.. Language in South Asia.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN 0521781418. at p. 291

[12]^ Indrapala, KThe Evolution of an ethnicidentity: The Tamils of Sri Lanka,

p.155-156

[13] Southworth, Franklin C. (1998). "On theOrigin of the word tamiz". International

Journal of Dravidial Linguistics 27 (1):129132.

[14]Zvelebil, Kamil V. (1992). Companion

Studies to the history of Tamil literature.Leiden: E.J. Brill. at pp. x-xvi.

[15]John, Vino (2006-01-27). "Reading thepast in a more inclusive way:Interview

with Dr. Sudharshan Seneviratne".Frontline. http://www.flonnet.com/

fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htm .

Retrieved on 2008-07-09. "But Indian/south Indian history/archaeology haspushed the date back to 1500 B.C., and

in Sri Lanka, there are definitely goodradiometric dates coming from

Anuradhapura that the non-Brahmi

symbol-bearing black and red ware occurat least around 900 B.C. or 1000 B.C."

[16]K. De B. Codrington (October 1930).

"Indian Cairn- and Urn-Burials". Man 30:190196. doi:10.2307/2790468.

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0025-1496%28193010%291%3A30%3C19

Retrieved on 2007-05-03. "...at


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http://wiki/List_of_Indian_languages_by_number_of_native_speakershttp://wiki/List_of_Indian_languages_by_number_of_native_speakershttp://wiki/Tamil_Languagehttp://wiki/Tamil_scripthttp://wiki/List_of_Tamil_peoplehttp://wiki/Tamil_diasporahttp://wiki/Ancient_Tamil_countryhttp://wiki/Dravidian_martial_artshttp://wiki/List_of_languages_by_first_written_accountshttp://wiki/Bharatanatyamhttp://wiki/Chronology_of_Tamil_historyhttp://wiki/Cinema_of_Tamil_Naduhttp://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htmhttp://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htmhttp://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htmhttp://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htmhttp://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htmhttp://www.vistawide.com/languages/top_30_languages.htmhttp://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.htmhttp://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.htmhttp://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.htmhttp://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.htmhttp://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.htmhttp://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/PDF/p7%20population%20and%20Housing%20Text-11-12-06.pdfhttp://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/PDF/p7%20population%20and%20Housing%20Text-11-12-06.pdfhttp://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/PDF/p7%20population%20and%20Housing%20Text-11-12-06.pdfhttp://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/PDF/p7%20population%20and%20Housing%20Text-11-12-06.pdfhttp://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/PDF/p7%20population%20and%20Housing%20Text-11-12-06.pdfhttp://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tamhttp://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tamhttp://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tamhttp://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tamhttp://www.diversitywatch.ryerson.ca/backgrounds/tamils.htmhttp://www.diversitywatch.ryerson.ca/backgrounds/tamils.htmhttp://www.diversitywatch.ryerson.ca/backgrounds/tamils.htmhttp://www.iias.nl/iiasn/iiasn5/insouasi/maloney.htmlhttp://www.iias.nl/iiasn/iiasn5/insouasi/maloney.htmlhttp://www.iias.nl/iiasn/iiasn5/insouasi/maloney.htmlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8543296http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0097-8507%28195601%2F03%2932%3A1%3C3%3AIAALA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Xhttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0097-8507%28195601%2F03%2932%3A1%3C3%3AIAALA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Xhttp://wiki/Digital_object_identifierhttp://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F410649http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0097-8507%28195601%2F03%2932%3A1%3C3%3AIAALA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Xhttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0097-8507%28195601%2F03%2932%3A1%3C3%3AIAALA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Xhttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9118%28197711%2937%3A1%3C7%3ACATHGO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Ohttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9118%28197711%2937%3A1%3C7%3ACATHGO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Ohttp://wiki/Digital_object_identifierhttp://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F2053325http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9118%28197711%2937%3A1%3C7%3ACATHGO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Ohttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9118%28197711%2937%3A1%3C7%3ACATHGO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Ohttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/india/gal_india_south_03.shtmlhttp://wiki/Special:BookSources/0521781418http://wiki/Kamil_Zvelebilhttp://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/PDF/p7%20population%20and%20Housing%20Text-11-12-06.pdfhttp://wiki/2006http://wiki/January_27http://www.flonnet.com/fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htmhttp://www.flonnet.com/fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htmhttp://www.flonnet.com/fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htmhttp://wiki/Frontline_(magazine)http://www.flonnet.com/fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htmhttp://www.flonnet.com/fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htmhttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0025-1496%28193010%291%3A30%3C190%3A1ICAU%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1http://wiki/Digital_object_identifierhttp://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F2790468http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0025-1496%28193010%291%3A30%3C190%3A1ICAU%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0025-1496%28193010%291%3A30%3C190%3A1ICAU%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0025-1496%28193010%291%3A30%3C190%3A1ICAU%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0025-1496%28193010%291%3A30%3C190%3A1ICAU%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1http://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F2790468http://wiki/Digital_object_identifierhttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0025-1496%28193010%291%3A30%3C190%3A1ICAU%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1http://www.flonnet.com/fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htmhttp://www.flonnet.com/fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htmhttp://wiki/Frontline_(magazine)http://www.flonnet.com/fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htmhttp://www.flonnet.com/fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htmhttp://www.flonnet.com/fl2301/stories/20060127003610200.htmhttp://wiki/January_27http://wiki/2006http://wiki/Kamil_Zvelebilhttp://wiki/Special:BookSources/0521781418http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/india/gal_india_south_03.shtmlhttp://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9118%28197711%2937%3A1%3C7%3ACATHGO%3E2.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14/18

Perambair & Pallavaram a second type of

burial exists in legged urns...".[17]^ Comparative excavations carried out

in Adichanallur in Thirunelveli district

and in Northern India have provided

evidence of a southward migration of the

Megalithic culture - K.A.N. Sastri,A

History of South India, pp4951[18]K. De B. Codrington (October 1930).

"Indian Cairn- and Urn-Burials". Man 30:

194. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0025-1496%28193010%291%3A30%3C190%3A1ICAU%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1 .

Retrieved on 2007-05-03. "It is necessaryto draw attention to certain passages in

early Tamil literature which throw agreat deal of light upon this strange

burial ceremonial...".

[19]Nilakanta Sastri,A history of South

India, p 105[20]^K. Sivathamby (December 1974).

"Early South Indian Society and

Economy: The Tinai Concept". Social

Scientist 3 (5): 2037. doi:10.2307/3516448. http://links.jstor.org/

sici?sici=0970-0293%28197412%293%3A5%3C20%3AESISAE%3E2.0.CO%3B2-U.Retrieved on 2007-05-03. "Those who

ruled over small territories were calledKurunilamannar. The area ruled by such

a small ruler usually corresponded to a

geographical unit. In Purananuru anumber of such chieftains are

mentioned;..".[21]^ de Silva, C.R. Sri Lanka A History,

pp. 3032

[22]^ Mendis, G.C.Ceylon Today and

Yesterday, pp. 2425[23] "Grand Anaicut". Encyclopdia

Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9021884/Cauvery-River.

Retrieved on 2006-05-03. .[24]^M. G. S. Narayanan (September 1988).

"The Role of Peasants in the EarlyHistory of Tamilakam in South India".

Social Scientist 16 (9): 1734.


sici?sici=0970-0293%28198809%2916%3A9%3C17%3ATROPIT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V.

Retrieved on 2007-05-03.[25] "Pandya Dynasty". Encyclopedia

Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9058245/Pandya-Dynasty.

Retrieved on 2007-05-03.

[26] "Archaeologists Uncover AncientMaritime Spice Route Between India,Egypt". Veluppillai, Prof. A.,. dickran.net.

http://www.dickran.net/history/

india_egypt_trade_route.html. Retrieved

on 2006-11-15.[27]The termPeriplus refers to the region of

the eastern seaboard of South India as

Damirica - "The Periplus of the

Erythraean Sea: Travel and Trade in theIndian Ocean by a Merchant of the First

Century". Ancient History source book.http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/

periplus.html. .[28]^ The Indian Geographical Journal.

Indian Geographical Society. 1941.pp. 69. "These Kalabhras were thrown

out by the powerful Pallava dynasty in

the fourth century AD ... this period isaptly known as "Dark Ages" of Tamil

Nadu. ..."[29] Kalabhraas were denounced as evil

kings (kaliararar) - K.A.N. Sastri,AHistory of South India, pp 130

[30]K.A.N. Sastri,A History of South India[31]Marilyn Hirsh (1987). "Mahendravarman

I Pallava: Artist and Patron of

Mamallapuram". Artibus Asiae 48 (1/2):122. http://links.jstor.org/

sici?sici=0004-3648%281987%2948%3A1%2F2%3CRetrieved on 2007-05-03.

[32]^ Smith, Vincent Arthur (1904). TheEarly History of India. The Clarendon

press. pp. 336358.[33] V., Venkayya (1907). Annual Report19067, Archaeological Survey of India.

Delhi: reprint Swati Publications.pp. 217243.

[34](Source- K.A.Nilakanta Sastris "History

of South India")

[35] Chandra, Satish (1997). Medieval India:From Sultanat to the Mughals

(12061526) - I. Har-Anand Publications.pp. 250.ISBN 8124110646. "...Starting

from the Tamil lands under the Pallava

kings, bhakti spread to different parts ofsouth India..."

[36] Srivastava, Balram (1973). RajendraChola. National Book Trust, India.

pp. 80. "The mission which Rajendra sentto China was essentially a trade

mission,..."[37]D. Curtin, Philip (1984). Cross-Cultural

Trade in World History. CambridgeUniversity Press. pp. 101.ISBN

0521269318.

[38]K.A.N. Sastri, Srinivasachari, AdvancedHistory of India, pp 296297

[39]Freeman, Rich (February 1998). "Rubies

and Coral: The Lapidary Crafting of


14
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15/18

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Asian Studies 57 (1): 3865. doi:10.2307/

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[40]"Malayalam first appeared in writing in

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[41]Natarajan, V.,History of Ceylon Tamils,p. 9

[42]Manogaran, C.Ethnic Conflict andReconciliation in Sri Lanka, p. 2

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2008-06-23.[44]Indrapa

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